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The 11 Roommates You’ll Have in College

Whether you found your roommate on the pre-frosh Facebook group, at orientation or through an online roommate search, you never really know a person until you live with her. Here are the 11 types of roommates you’ll find in college!

1. The One Who Never Stops Studying

This girl takes “silence is golden” to a whole new level. She’s constantly studying for her next big exam or completing her mountain of bio homework. God forbid you disturb her quiet study environment, or you will definitely have to deal with her wrath. She may be quiet, but she is fierce when there’s a chance you’d interfere with her path to good grades and a high GPA. The only time you can hold a conversation with her is when you’re talking about schoolwork—her favorite topic!

2. The Neat Freak

You may not be the tidiest person in the world, but she most certainly is. She always has her side of the room clean, including, but not limited to, her bed being made, her magazines in a neat pile on her dresser and her pencils placed perfectly in their holder. She’s the queen of Lysol-ing and organization, so your side of the room will always look like a disaster in comparison. When your side of her room isn’t up to her standards, you will surely get little snide remarks about it!

3. The Slob

Unlike The Neat Freak, The Slob has no cares in the world about her side of the room. Her clothes are piled high all over the room, there are empty Chinese food containers covering her desk and it’s hard to walk across the room without tripping over multiple pairs of her shoes. A little mess here and there is one thing, but The Slob adds to the mess 24/7, making you live right below the line of unsanitary living conditions.

4. The One Who’s in a Serious Relationship

This girl is the stereotypical overly obsessed girlfriend. Her wall is littered with photos of her and her boyfriend, as if him being in the room 24/7 wasn’t enough. In fact, you basically have two roommates in this situation. They’re constantly taking over the room by cuddling, watching movies and doing other couple-y things you don’t want going on in your presence (but will happen regardless).

5. The Partier

This roommate situation could go one of two ways: extremely annoying or extremely convenient. If you’re down to go out, your partying roommate will probably know the best frat houses to go to and have the cutest wardrobe to borrow stuff from. If you’re not exactly ready to live life in the fast lane, your roommate constantly stumbling in the room at 2 a.m. totally drunk is a whole different story.

6. The Mooch

The Mooch thinks that everything in the room can be shared. She’s constantly eating your food, borrowing your clothes or taking your school supplies. If she needs something you have, she’s not afraid to just take it without asking.

7. The Social Butterfly

The Social Butterfly loves socializing and talking to as many people as she can. She’s constantly leaving your door open to meet new people and wandering in and out of the hallway, stalking her next target. She invites different people over to hang out on a daily basis, even at the most inconvenient times. She’ll talk your ear off most of the time, but she’s great whenever there’s an awkward silence or you’re looking for a wingwoman.

What to do: If you feel like there are too many people coming in and out of your room, express your concerns with her. There are other places on campus where she can hang out, so maybe your room doesn’t have to be the hangout spot every day.

8. The Hermit

You’re not going to be able to miss this roommate, because she is always around. She lives in the room, constantly sitting on her computer or reading a book in bed. It seems like she doesn’t have many other friends, or any semblance of a social life, for that matter. It can get annoying when you want to have time to yourself, but at least you’ll always know where to find her if you need her!

9. The Drama Queen

This is the last type of roommate you need to be sharing a room with. If she as much as finds a stray sock of yours on her side of the room, you know you’re going to end up hearing about it. She’s an expert at writing passive-aggressive Post-it notes about what you’ve done wrong and sticking them on your mirror—unless she gets to confront you in person! She thrives on drama and will start something with everyone and anyone. Because you’re her roommate, you’ll most likely be her main target.

10. The Ghost

You saw her the first time you both moved in, but you haven’t seen much of her since. She’s always out of the room and busy, so you’re basically living alone. When you do get to see her, it’s never for more than a few minutes at a time. Sometimes you even wonder if she’s alive! But she (probably) is, just MIA.

11. The Perfect Match

Disregarding all the bad roommates you could have ended up with, ending up with your perfect match is a dream come true. You enjoy the same things, you have the same expectations of what your room should be like and you get along magnificently. Some may say you’re attached at the hip, but you both just think it was meant to be. She’s not only your roommate; she’s also your best friend. It was a match made in roommate heaven!

No matter what type of roommate you have, talking problems outand setting boundaries can help you deal with her. So if you’re searching for a roommate or have already experienced one of these types of roommates, best of luck!

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About The Author

Casey A. McBride is a junior at Saint Joseph's University, an editorial writer for Her Campus SJU, and a sister of Alpha Omicron Pi, Sigma Beta Chapter. She is pursuing a degree in Marketing and a minor in Communications and hopes to pursue a career in the beauty industry after interning at L'Oreal USA this past summer. If you want to hear about cats, Taylor Swift, or AOII on a daily basis, follow her on Twitter/Instagram @caseyamcbride.